How Donald Trump Is Plotting His Return To Politics
Although former President Donald Trump is in the midst of at least two possible investigations concerning major legal trespasses — a criminal case in Georgia related to allegations of election interference related to the November 2020 presidential race, and another regarding dubious business dealings in New York through his real estate empire the Trump Organization — it seemingly hasn't stopped the twice-impeached ex-commander-in-chief from plotting his next political moves. While it seems highly unlikely that Trump will go with the more unorthodox route of founding his own political party (it also remains unclear if Trump himself will be able to run for political office in the future at all) the former magnate and avid golfer seems determined to go about with the bold assertion that a future appointment in office will be guaranteed — and a Feb. 25, 2021 report by CNN has seemingly, summarily confirmed it.
So what tricks does Trump seemingly have up his sleeve (or rather, what tricks does he think he has up his sleeve)? And will it only involve Trump himself, or will others in his inner circle be chess pieces in his game? Keep on scrolling to find out.
Donald Trump's political future rests on the state of Florida
As CNN noted, Donald Trump's new domicile in Florida at the Mar-a-Lago resort and golf club near Palm Beach has become something of a home base for the Trump brood. Mar-a-Lago, which was once nicknamed the "winter White House" during Trump's tenure in office, might be more of an unofficial Trump HQ, but the area at large is now actually one in name.
In January 2021, Trump announced the creation of his "Office of the Former President" in Palm Beach County, which, per CBS News, aims to "[manage] President Trump's correspondence, public statements, appearances and official activities to advance the interests of the United States and to carry on the agenda of the Trump administration through advocacy, organizing and public activism," according to a statement. (CBS also noted that the function of the office is also, in part, an effort to work around Trump's permanent ban on multiple social media platforms by using the office to post official announcements and bulletins straight from the Trump camp.)
In conjunction with his new organization, members of the Trump family have flocked to Florida to live in close distance to their patriarch, including Ivanka Trump and Tiffany Trump, per CNN; the media outlet also reported that Trump's son, Donald Trump, Jr., has similar relocation plans in the works. The proximity of the Trumps to one another could be a key factor in Trump's larger, future political vision.
Will the Trump family become a political dynasty?
While there may be other reasons that so many members of the Trump family are choosing to make Palm Beach and Miami their new homestead, a major motivation could be, as many have speculated, the foundation of a de facto political family dynasty. Although CNN noted that Donald Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka, wants "nothing to do with politics" for now — despite widespread rumors the former White House adviser would be a potential contender for Florida Senator Marco Rubio's seat in the 2022 midterm elections — other of his children might be. Ivanka's popularity might have been unceremoniously usurped as the most likely Trump family political candidate by her brother, Donald Trump, Jr.
As CNN summarized, part of the younger Donald's appeal to the Republican voter base was built over time through his role as his father and then-president's "hype-man" — duties which included "spewing conspiracy theories on social media" popular with conservatives, attacking "Democrats, so-called RINOs (Republicans in Name Only)," as well as railing against "anyone who did not agree with Trump's theories or policies — truthful or no" with a hyper-focused and vehement manner. As CNN also noted, Don Jr.'s girlfriend, conservative pundit Kimberly Guilfoyle, is also a veteran when it comes to playing the political scene, both due to her credentials as a campaign donor magnet and as the former partner of Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Mar-a-Lago might be an oasis for family-led fundraising
Even though it is unclear exactly which race Donald Trump, Jr. would run in as a candidate in the near future, one anonymous insider close to the son of the former president disclosed to CNN that both the truncheon-wielding Don and his father, Donald Trump, already have their eyes set on campaigning in 2022's upcoming midterm elections. While the hypothetical campaign itself could be for Don Jr.'s own bid for office or for the purposes of endorsing another Republican candidate, in order to campaign at all, there needs to be a financial nest egg. Enter: Mar-a-Lago.
Despite the fact that Mar-a-Lago is first and foremost a private resort and golf club, the location has served as a major location for Trump-led, lavish events in order to secure fundraising from donors. It's also a tradition that won't seemingly die out any time soon. Despite the risk of holding events with multiple attendees during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, both Don Jr. and his partner Kimberly Guilfoyle have taken on the mantle as event organizers in order to secure donors, with one already in the works for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem in early March 2021, per CNN, charging $1000 per head and offering other perks, like face-to-face time, for thousands more. As CNN noted, the venue itself "has a built-in audience of members, many of whom are also sycophants." In short: it's a fundraising well that could seemingly never run dry.